Water Quality and Use

This page gives tips and advice for conserving and protecting water quality.

Water Quality -What You Can Do to Maintain and Enhance It

There are many things we can do to improve and maintain our freshwater resource.

  • Fence off streams, rivers, swamps, wetlands and seeps to prevent stock access.

  • Plant banks of waterways and lower ends of drains to help stabilise the banks and trap contaminants.

  • Make sure farm dairy effluent irrigators are operating effectively and are moved frequently to prevent effluent ponding and run-off into waterways.

  • Avoid break-feeding or mob-stocking close to waterways, especially in wet weather.

  • Form a landcare group with your neighbours to discuss and use better land management practices to protect your local waterways.

  • Keep hazardous substances (such as oil and pesticides) out of our stormwater system and away from groundwater wells.

  • Install stormwater detention areas in new subdivisions to improve water quality (less silt and animal faeces reaches the rivers and streams).

  • Conserve water by fixing leaks, using water more efficiently.

  • Report to Council any discharges of liquid or rubbish to water, or land where it may enter water, or any drainage of wetlands (Phone 543 8400 – after hours service available).

  • Have a go at monitoring the health of your stream.

Clean Streams

If looking after your farm business and your local environment is important to you, it could be time you considered managing your waterways. Well managed waterway margins could help you meet market demands, enhance your farm and stock management, and protect water quality and freshwater life into the future.

Council is keen to hear from any landowner or group interested in working on streamside (riparian) projects. If you want to find out more, or want a copy of the Strategy, contact the Policy Planner - Land at Council:

Contact Mary-Anne Baker - Policy Planner, Tasman District Council for further information

Water Leaks: They Waste our Water and Cost You Money

Water Conservation